Create a Traditional Razor Illustration

In the following tutorial you will learn how to create a traditional razor illustration. Learn step by step how to make this vector razor art drawing. This straight razor is a classic item from a retro barber shop. Learn to build this straight blade shape by shape, color it with gradients, and add some razor sharp shine.

Step 1

Create a 1100 by 600px, RGB document. First, turn on the Grid (View > Grid) and the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Next, you'll need a grid every 10px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides > Grid, enter 10 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box.

You can also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Do not forget to replace the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Unit > General. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.

Step 2

Start with the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 770 by 100px shape and fill it with R=28 G=117 B=188. Switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A) and focus on the right side of this rectangle. Select the top anchor point and move it 10px down then select the bottom anchor point and move it 50px up.

Now, your shape should look like in the second image. Reselect it and go to Effect > Warp > Arc. Enter the data shown below, click OK, then go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 3

Next, you need to add some roundness for the shape created in the previous step. The Round Any Corner script will come in handy for this. You can find it in the Vectortuts+ article 20 Free and Useful Adobe Illustrator Scripts. Save it to your hard drive and grab the Direct Selection Tool (A).

Select the left anchor points and go to File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 50px Radius and click OK. Move to the right anchor points, select them and go again to File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 20px Radius and click OK. In the end your shape should look like in the second image.

Step 4

Select the shape edited in the previous step and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Enter a 7px Offset and click OK. Fill the resulting shape with the linear gradient shown in the second image. The white number from the gradient image stands for Location percentage.

Step 5

Reselect the two shapes created so far and duplicate them (Control + C > Control + F). Select these copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting with a loud color (R=255, G=222, B=23).

Step 6

For the following step you will need a grid very 5px. Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides > Grid and enter 5 in the Gridline every box. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) and create two new shapes. One should be 70 wide and 100 tall and the other 30 wide and 50 tall. Place them as shown in the first image and fill them with another loud color (R=251, G=176, B=64).

Now, select the left one and go to Object > Transform > Rotate. Enter a 45 degrees angle and click OK. Move to the left, select the other shape and go to Object > Transform > Rotate. Enter a -45 degrees angle and click OK. In the end your shapes should be placed as shown in the second image.

Step 7

Return to the "gridline every 10px". Go to Edit > Preferences > Guides > Grid and enter 10 in the Gridline every box. Select the three shapes created in the last two steps and click on the Divide button from the Pathfinder panel. This will create a group with nine shapes. Save the three shapes shown in the second image and delete the rest.

Now, let's add the proper colors for these three shapes. Select the small ones, fill them with white and lower their opacity to 20%. Select the long one, fill it with the linear gradient shown in the final image, lower its Opacity to 20% and change the blending mode to Overlay. The yellow zero from the gradient image stands for opacity percentage.

Step 8

Select the shape created in the fourth step and add a stroke. Make it 2pt wide, align it to outside and set the colors at R=65, G=89, B=128. Go to the Appearance panel, select this stroke and click on the Duplicate Selected Item button from the bottom of the Appearance panel.

Obviously, this will create a copy of the selected stroke. Select this new stroke, make it 1pt wide and set the color at R=207, G=216, B=237. Add a third stroke for this shape, make it white and set the weight at 0.5pt.

Step 9

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Select the top blue shape (the one made in the third step) and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the down arrow twice. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=207, G=216, B=237, lower its Opacity to 20% and change the blending mode to overlay.

Step 10

Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Reselect the top blue shape and make a new copy in front (Control + C > Control + F). Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and create a 850 by 90px shape. Select this squeezed circle along with the fresh copy and click on the intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with the linear gradient shown in the final image, lower its opacity to 20% and change the blending mode to Overlay.

Step 11

First, go to the Layers panel and lock the two shapes created in the last two steps. Now, reselect the top blue shape and make a new copy in front (Control + C > Control + F). Pick the Mesh Tool (U) and add two mesh points (pointed by the arrows). The Snap to Grid will ease your work. Continue with the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the four circled mesh points and give them then fill colors shown below (R=39, G=160, B=225).

Step 12

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Ellipse Tool(L) and click on your artboard. Enter 15 in the width and height boxes then click OK. This will create a 15 by 15px shape. Fill it with the linear gradient shown below then add a stroke. Make 2pt wide, align it to outside and set the color at R=230, G=231, B=232.

Add a second stroke for this circle, make it 1pt wide, align it to outside and set the color at R=28, G=89, B=160. Reselect the entire path and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the data shown in the left window and click OK. Now, place this shape to the left as shown below.

Make a copy of this shape, move it to the right and place it as shown in the following image. Select it and go to the Appearance panel. First, select the strokes and align them to inside then open the Drop Shadow effect and enter the data shown in the right window.

Step 13

Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Pick the Rectangle Tool(M), create a 430 by 80px shape and fill it with R=147 G=149 B=152. Switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the top, left anchor point and move it 20px to the right. Select the bottom, right anchor point and move it 40px to the left.

Step 14

Next, you need to add some roundness for the shape created in the previous step. Again, you will need the Round Any Corner script again. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the left anchor points and go to File > Scripts > Other Script.

Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 15px Radius and click OK. Move to the bottom, right anchor point. Select it and go again to File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 10px Radius and click OK. In the end your shape should look like in the second image. Make a copy of this shape (Control + C > Control + F) and make it invisible. You will need it later.

Step 15

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 190 by 50px shape, fill it with R=147, G=149, B=152, and place it as shown in the first image. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A) and focus on this new shape. Start with the the top, left anchor point. Select it and move it 20px to the right. Move to the right, select the two anchor points and move them 10px down. In the end your shape should look like in the third image.

Step 16

Select the two, visible grey shapes and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the anchor point highlighted in the second image and go to File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 10px Radius and click OK. Switch to the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift + C) and focus on the anchor point highlighted in the third image. Click on it and drag 50px to the left.

Step 17

Select the shape created in the previous step and fill it with R=239, G=247, B=255. Go to the Appearance panel, add two new fills and use the linear gradients shown below. Return to the Appearance panel, select the top fill and lower its Opacity to 70%. Don't forget that the yellow zero from the gradient image stands for opacity percentage.

Step 18

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F).

Select the top copy and hit the down arrow twice. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape, go to the Appearance panel and remove the top, two fills. Select the remaining fill, lower its opacity to 70% and set the color at R=166, G=162, B=172.

Step 19

Reselect the shape from the seventeenth step and make two new copies (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the up arrow five times. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape, go to the Appearance panel and remove the top, two fills. Select the remaining fill, lower its Opacity to 15% and set the color at R=103, G=112, B=128.

Step 20

Go to the Layers panel and find the invisible shape created in the fourteenth step. Make it visible, bring it to front (Shift + Control + Racket Bracket key) and fill it with the linear gradient shown below.

Step 21

Select the shape edited in the previous step and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the down arrow and the left arrow five times. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=83 G=96 B=124 and lower its opacity to 30%. Once again, you will need the Round Any Corner script. Pick the Direct Selection Tool(A), select the anchor point highlighted in the second image and go File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 10px Radius and click OK. In the end your shape should look like in the third image.

Step 22

Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Select the shape edited in the twentieth step, make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F) and grad the Rectangle Tool (M).

Create a 420 by 20px shape, fill it with any color and place it as shown in the second image. Select this thin rectangle along with the fresh copy and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=239, G=247, B=255.

Step 23

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid), select the shape created in the previous step and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the down arrow once. Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with R=207, G=216, B=237, and lower its Opacity to 70%.

Step 24

Re-enable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Select the large blade shape (edited in the seventeenth step) and make a copy in front (Control + C > Control + F). Pick the Ellipse Tool(L) and create a 490 by 110px shape.

Step 25

Select the shape and the copy created in the previous step and click on the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with white and lower its opacity to 5%.

Step 26

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 180 by 50px shape, fill it with R=147, G=149, B=152, and place it as shown in the first image. Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A) and focus on this new shape. Start with the the top, right anchor point.

Select it and move it 20px down. Move to the bottom anchor point, select it and move it 10px up. Reselect this shape and go to Effect > Warp > Arc. Enter the data shown below, click OK then go to Object > Expand Appearance. One last time, you will need the Round Any Corner script.

Pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the anchor point highlighted in the third image and go File > Scripts > Other Script. Open the Round Any Corner Script, enter a 13px Radius and click OK. In the end your shape should look like in the fourth image.

Step 27

Select the shape created in the previous step and fill it with R=239, G=247, B=255. Go to the Appearance panel, add two new fills and use the linear gradients shown below. Return to the Appearance panel, select the second fill and lower its opacity to 70% then select the top fill and lower its Opacity to 30%. Don't forget that the yellow zero from the gradient image stands for opacity percentage.

Step 28

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid). Reselect the shape edited in the previous step and make two copies in front (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the down arrow twice.

Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape, go to the Appearance panel and remove the top two fills. Select the remaining fill, lower its Opacity to 50% and set the color at R=166, G=162, B=172.

Step 29

Reselect the shape from the twenty-seventh step and make two new copies (Control + C > Control + F > Control + F). Select the top copy and hit the up arrow five times.

Reselect both copies and click on the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Select the resulting shape, go to the Appearance panel and remove the top, two fills. Select the remaining fill, lower its Opacity to 12% and set the color at R=103, G=112, B=128.

Step 30

Select all the shapes that make up the blade and duplicate them (Control + C > Control + F). Select these copies and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with none and add a stroke. Make it 2pt wide, align it to outside and set the colors at R=103, G=112, B=128.

Go to the Appearance panel and add a second stroke. Make it 1pt wide, align it to outside and set the color at R=207, G=216, B=237. Add a third stroke for this shape, make it white, align it to outside and set the weight at 0.5pt.

Step 31

Pick the Rectangle Tool and create a 430 by 30px shape. Fill it with the linear gradient shown below and place it as shown in the following image. Select this fresh shape along with the shape created in the previous step and go to the Transparency panel.

Open the fly-out menu and click on Make Opacity Mask then uncheck the Clip box from the Transparency panel. In the end your shape should look like in the third image. Take a closer look and you'll notice that the stroke is masked along the blade.

Step 32

Select all the shapes that make up the blade and group them. Select this group and go to Object > Transform > Rotate. Enter a -25 degree angle and click OK. Send this group to back (Shift + Control + Left Bracket key) and place it as shown in the second image.

Step 33

Select all the shapes created so far (except the mesh) and duplicate them. Select these copies and click on the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shape with black and lower its Opacity to 8%, and then send it to back and move it 15px down.